Explore History, Culture & Writing
Explore our extraordinary range of History, Culture and Writing courses and lectures. We offer both introductory and specialist in-depth courses to suit all levels of interest and experience, from ‘How to read a film’ and World literature, to Creative non-fiction writing courses and American history and Politics courses.
Our tutors are experts in their fields and experienced educators; many have published, teach in universities or share their expertise in the media. Tutors share their knowledge and passion through presentations, readings, interactive discussion and exercises, analysis, and other activities.
Many students return to take more courses, telling us they enjoy being part of our City Lit Learning community.
Our popular courses often sell out quickly, so we invite you to browse and book your place now.
Filters
- Reading for writers: great plays (a fortnightly course)
Course start date: Wed 19 Apr 2023Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Brian MullinImitation is more than just a form of flattery - it's a tool to discover your own writing craft! Delve into a series of famous playscripts to understand their mechanics and their unique approaches. Then apply your insights to your own writing through in-class exercises.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £65.00 - Writing a memoir (continuation)Course start date: Wed 19 Apr 2023 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: Julie GartonSome moments in our lives are so powerful they beg to be shared with the world. This continuation course guides students in developing a memoir project that will resonate and inspire.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £65.00 - Writing a memoir: an introductionCourse start date: Thu 12 Jan 2023 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street (other locations are available)
Tutors: Nick BarlaySome moments in our lives are so powerful they beg to be shared with the world. This six week course will help you plan and craft a memoir that will resonate and inspire.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £65.00 - German art after the 1960s: from happenings to artificial sunshineCourse start date: Wed 26 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeExplore German art from the 1960s to present, from movements such as Conceptualism, Fluxus, Capitalist Realism and Neo-Expressionism to the most recent multi-media art.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £90.00 - Mary, William and Anne: the later Stuart DynastyCourse start date: Wed 26 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ellen CarpenterFollowing the deposal of their father James II & VII, Mary ruled jointly with her husband William from 1689-1694, after which she was succeeded first by William, and then her younger sister Anne from 1702-1714. Join us to explore the lives, intrigues, politics, religion and society of these later Stuart monarchs – what challenges did these monarchs face and how enduring were their legacies? To what extent did Mary and Anne see one another as rivals?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00 - Writing for magazinesCourse start date: Wed 3 May 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Susan GrossmanGet inspired to write on this practical course for freelance journalists and bloggers. Learn to carry out research, interview people, pitch and publish stories, and build your presence on social media.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £65.00 - Sweet Thames, run softly - a cultural explorationCourse start date: Wed 10 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Eleanor JacksonThe Thames runs like a silver thread through London’s history. It has been a muse & inspiration for centuries. This course examines its impact on our city, how it’s enriched & influenced our lives, both upstream & down.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £55.00 - Island adventure storiesCourse start date: Wed 24 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Fiona McCullochDiscover and discuss a selection of novels set on desert islands. Why are adventure tales often set on islands? Are these islands paradises or purgatories? Who are civilised characters and who are savages? Why? Since Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719), we have been spellbound by stories of shipwreck and survival, so we will explore this further in novels that come after Crusoe, known as 'Robinsonnades'.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £71.00 - Pre-Columbian cultures - part 2: Mexico and North AmericaCourse start date: Wed 24 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Max CarocciExplore the little known history of pre-Columbian civilizations North of Mexico and their links to Aztec and other Mexican cultures.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £90.00 - An introduction to critical thinkingCourse start date: Wed 31 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Louis TsangIt is all too easy to read and spread information from social media and the internet. But does this mean we can draw useful conclusions from the information we are exposed to? The course provides essential tools for us to be good thinkers in this information age.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £55.00 - Advanced creative non-fiction workshopCourse start date: Mon 20 Feb 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: Julie GartonThis advanced workshop is designed for students who have already completed introductory and intermediate creative-non fiction courses and would like to focus on workshopping their writing.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00 - Creative non-fiction: an introductionCourse start date: Wed 15 Feb 2023 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: Yvonne SinghThis short introductory course explores the core elements of creative non-fiction across genres such as travel writing, the personal essay and life writing.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £65.00 - Canadian landscapes: Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, Anne Michaels and Alice MunroCourse start date: Wed 7 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Caroline Millar‘What a lost person needs is a map of the territory’, Margaret Atwood.
Author of over fifty books, Booker-prize winner Margaret Atwood is a household name, but how does her work sit within the field of Canadian fiction? On this course, we’ll read a selection of novels and short stories by a number of key Canadian writers and ask ourselves what is ‘Canadian’ about Canadian Literature? To answer this question, we’ll look for shared themes and motifs we can uncover, think about questions of nationality and investigate the role of landscape in their fiction.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00 - Representing nature in early modern EuropeCourse start date: Wed 14 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Thomas BalfeExplore the links between the visual image and ideas of nature in early modernity (c.1500-1750). At this time, tools like the microscope were visualising nature in new ways, changes were afoot in how humans related to animals, and the environments of Asia and the Americas were becoming more familiar to Europeans. We will focus on how artists and skilled artisans engaged with these subjects.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00
Can't see a course you want?
Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.
Add me to waiting list